Today's Washington Post printed a letter from Edward A. Urben, the General Manager and CEO of the Army Navy Country Club in South Arlington. This letter shows support for the County's request to obtain an easement that will allow bike/ped access from Arlington View neighborhood, under I-395, to Pentagon City. This is a long-sought connection. Please also see this related post from a few weeks ago, urging cyclists and others to support this connection.

Having this letter published in the Post is a huge step toward bringing this issue to fruition. Here is the complete text of the letter, which was in response to an article that appeared in the Post on July 13. I have bolded the key statement.

The July 13 Metro article "Plans for bike path at Army Navy club lead to uproar, suit" highlighted sensationalist quotes from a few members of the Army Navy Country Club. I want to provide a fuller perspective.

The Army Navy Country Club (ANCC) is a nonprofit organization that, at a reasonable cost, provides recreational facilities for a cross-section of the community, including active-duty and retired military personnel, schoolteachers and local businesspeople. The Arlington County club invests about $19 million in the community annually, including $10 million for more than 500 jobs and more than $1 million in property taxes. The ANCC prides itself on being a responsible member of the community and hosts many annual events for the public.

In the post-Sept. 11, 2001 environment, the club's Board of Governors believed that granting an easement for emergency access, which could also be used as a bike path on a sliver of property that is removed from other ANCC facilities, was a public benefit that made sense. The 40-member board carefully considered its authority to make decisions in the best interests of its membership.

Edward A. Urben, Arlington

The writer is general manager and chief operating officer of the Army Navy Country Club.